Ethics concerns questions of how we should live, what is good in life, how we can tell right from wrong, or what we owe to each other. This subject will examine traditional and emerging ethical theories, and a range of applied ethical questions. Ethical theories to be examined will include consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics and care ethics. Students will gain an understanding of these theoretical approaches and their main critiques, as well as links to moral concepts such as moral status, human rights, dignity, and autonomy. We will also apply the theories and concepts in different contexts by examining issues in applied ethics, drawing a selection of controversial topics from a number of areas. These may concern questions of life and death, such as abortion and euthanasia; ethical issues raised by new technologies, such as those relating to social media use, robotics, or artificial intelligence; and global issues, such as the international trade in organs and body parts, global poverty, and the ethics of climate change policy.
This is a level 2 subject. Please consider the subject pre-requisites before enrolling. This subject includes live sessions with the expectation of student attendance and participation.
